Every year, approximately 19,000 people apply to be among 5,000 entering freshmen. To be considered, you must present a strong GPA (A/B+ average preferred) and competitive test scores. Below are some general requirements for admission to Virginia Tech.

Academic Requirements for Freshmen

Before you can be considered for freshman admission, you must complete:

• 18 units of high-school course work
• 4 units of English
• 3 units of math (includes algebra I, geometry, and algebra II)
• 2 units of laboratory science (chosen from biology, chemistry or physics)
• 2 units of social science (one must be history)
• 3 additional academic units (foreign language is highly recommended)
• 4 elective units

Some majors have other requirements, such as an additional year of advanced math or lab science. Most students who are selected for admission have completed more than the minimum requirements and have at least a B+ grade point average.

ACT/SAT Requirements

Virginia Tech accepts either the SAT Reasoning Test (including critical reading and math) or ACT test scores. Since Virginia Tech utilizes the writing portion of each test for placement purposes, students who opt to take the ACT should take the ACT plus writing. All tests should be taken by the December test date of the senior year.

Fall 2007 Freshman Offers at a Glance

Average GPA: 3.82
Mid-50% GPA*: 3.57–4.04

Average SAT: 1229
Mid-50% SAT**: 1130–1310
(SAT scores reflect critical reading and math section scores only)

*This means that 25% of freshmen offered admission to Virginia Tech had below a 3.57 GPA and 25% of freshmen offered admission had above a 4.04 GPA.

**This means that 25% of freshmen offered admission to Virginia Tech scored below 1130 on the SAT (combined critical reading and math) and 25% of freshmen offered admission scored above 1310 on the SAT (combined critical reading and math).

Please note: These are not minimum requirements for admission to Virginia Tech.

For more information about the incoming class of 2011, please see the complete Freshman Snapshot.

Home Schoolers and Others in Non-Accredited Programs

In order to be competitive for admission to Virginia Tech, students from other than accredited schools (including home-schooled students whose programs are not accredited) must provide the following documentation for review by the admissions committee:

• Application for admission
• Application fee
• Transcripts
• Grades (level of performance)
• SAT Reasoning Test scores and/or ACT Plus Writing scores
• SAT subject test scores in math (level Ic or IIc) and a second area of study to be chosen by the applicant

Virginia Tech attracts highly competitive students nationwide and from over 100 countries. An increasing number of these students have unique educational backgrounds that require special evaluation. The university administration recognizes that students from other than accredited schools may not study in the traditional classroom environment and that they are unable to provide the traditional documentation needed to evaluate their academic performance. Virginia Tech believes that providing this population the opportunity to demonstrate proficiency in their college preparatory curriculum through the above-listed documentation will be beneficial to both the student and the university.

Please be sure to include with your application package transcripts of any college course work you may have completed. Also, make arrangements to take the two SAT subject area tests described in the policy as soon as possible.

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